OpenClaw Auto-Updater

Automatically keep OpenClaw and installed workspace skills up to date using native OpenClaw commands. Use when the user wants automatic update checks, schedu...

Security Scan

The skill is an instruction-only helper that consistently documents how to use the OpenClaw CLI and its cron facility to schedule updates; its requirements and instructions match its stated purpose and nothing in the bundle requests unrelated credentials or installs code.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description match the SKILL.md: instructions only call native openclaw commands and cron scheduling. There are no unrelated env vars, binaries, or installs requested.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions are limited to running openclaw commands and creating cron jobs (using openclaw cron or standard cron). The skill explicitly avoids legacy tools and requires user approval for elevated actions. It does not instruct reading unrelated files or exfiltrating data.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files — nothing is downloaded or written by the skill itself. This is the lowest-risk model for a helper that documents CLI usage.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables, credentials, or config paths. All suggested actions use local openclaw commands and cron; no external secrets are required.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill recommends creating cron jobs (persistent scheduled tasks) using openclaw cron. This is expected for an auto-updater but means the agent (or user) will create persistent system jobs; the skill itself is not marked always:true and requests no elevated credentials in the bundle.

Assessment

This skill is an instruction-only helper for the OpenClaw CLI and is internally consistent. Before installing or running it, confirm that: (1) you have the openclaw CLI available and understand the openclaw cron commands it will run, (2) you want persistent cron jobs created on your system (the templates create scheduled tasks), (3) you prefer automatic skill updates but keep core OpenClaw updates opt-in unless you explicitly allow full auto-updates, and (4) any job creation is performed with appropriate user consent and permissions. If you want stronger control, instruct the agent to only produce the cron commands for you to review/run manually rather than creating jobs autonomously.

Use this skill to set up or run native OpenClaw update routines.

This skill is for OpenClaw, not legacy Clawdbot/ClawdHub setups. Prefer these commands:

• openclaw update ... for OpenClaw itself
• openclaw skills update ... for installed skills
• openclaw cron ... for scheduling

What to do

When the user asks for automatic updates:

1. Check whether they want:
   • OpenClaw core updates
   • skill updates
   • both
2. Prefer native OpenClaw commands over legacy clawdbot / clawdhub commands.
3. If scheduling is requested, create a cron job with openclaw cron add or the cron tool. Prefer binding the job to the current session when the user wants the summary to come back to the same chat.
4. Make the cron message ask for:
   • current OpenClaw version before/after (if updated)
   • which skills were updated
   • any failures or skipped items
5. Keep summaries short and readable.

Safe default behavior

Default recommendation:

• Update skills automatically
• Leave OpenClaw core binary/app updates as opt-in unless the user explicitly wants automatic core updates too

Reason: skill updates are lower risk than changing the OpenClaw runtime itself.

Native command patterns

Check OpenClaw status/version

openclaw --version
openclaw status

Update installed skills

openclaw skills update <slug>
openclaw skills update --all

Inspect skills first

openclaw skills list
openclaw skills check

Check/update OpenClaw itself

openclaw update --help

Only automate core updates after the user explicitly asks.

Cron template: skills-only auto-update

For lower rate-limit pressure, prefer updating skills one by one instead of always starting with --all. Recommended example:

openclaw cron add \
  --name "Daily Skills Auto-Update" \
  --cron "0 4 * * *" \
  --tz "Asia/Shanghai" \
  --session isolated \
  --announce \
  --message "Run the daily OpenClaw skills maintenance routine. Use native OpenClaw commands only. Prefer a gentle strategy: first identify tracked ClawHub-installed skills, then run openclaw skills update <slug> one by one, record updated/current/failed items, and if 429 Rate limit exceeded appears, explain it is a ClawHub remote rate limit and stop the rest of this run. Do not use legacy clawdbot or clawdhub commands." \
  --light-context

Cron template: core + skills update

Only use this if the user explicitly wants OpenClaw itself updated automatically.

openclaw cron add \
  --name "Daily OpenClaw Auto-Update" \
  --cron "0 4 * * *" \
  --tz "Asia/Shanghai" \
  --session isolated \
  --announce \
  --message "Run the daily OpenClaw maintenance routine using native OpenClaw commands only. Steps: (1) record the current OpenClaw version, (2) inspect whether OpenClaw core update commands are available and apply updates only through supported OpenClaw update flows, (3) update tracked skills gently, preferably with openclaw skills update <slug> one by one instead of blindly starting with --all, (4) if 429 Rate limit exceeded appears, say it is a ClawHub remote rate limit and stop the rest of this run, (5) report version before/after, updated skills, already-current skills, and failures. Do not use legacy clawdbot or clawdhub commands." \
  --light-context

Reporting format

Use a compact report like:

🔄 OpenClaw Update Complete

OpenClaw: unchanged / updated <before → after>
Skills updated: <list>
Already current: <list or count>
Issues: <none or short list>

Notes

• Prefer openclaw cron over ad-hoc shell schedulers when the user wants in-product automation.
• Prefer isolated cron jobs for maintenance tasks, but prefer current-session binding when the user expects the summary back in the same chat.
• When ClawHub rate limits are likely, prefer openclaw skills update <slug> one by one before resorting to --all.
• If a command requires user approval or elevated access, stop and ask.
• If the user only asked to install this skill, do not create the cron job automatically.